A Conversation With ... Dr. Larry Halverson

Job title: Senior Faculty Physician, CoxHealth’s Family Practice Residency Program

Education: Medical degree, University of Oklahoma; family practice residency, University of Missouri-Columbia

Current goal: Raising $5 million for an endowment fund that will support research for management of diabetes and other chronic diseases

Tell us about CoxHealth’s Family Practice Residency program.

We got our first charter in May of 1987 – I was hired in April of 1987 – and our first residents started in July of 1988. Our residents are graduates of medical school … but in order to get fully licensed as physicians, they have to do post-graduate training, called a residency. We have 24 residents. It’s a three-year program with eight residents (starting) each year. Probably half of our residents are ultimately hired by Cox and some of its entities, but residents can go anywhere after they’re done.

What did you do before joining the Family Practice Residency Program?

I practiced in Aurora, Missouri, for 10 years after (my) residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia. I grew up in Montana, and Montana’s one of those orphan states without a medical school. I went to the University of Oklahoma to medical school and to Missouri for my residency in family medicine.

Why did you leave private practice for more of a teaching position?

When I was practicing in Aurora, we were having trouble recruiting graduates of residencies to our practice and to all of southwest Missouri. At the time, there was a deficit of family physicians in southwest Missouri, (and) the average age of family physicians in southwest Missouri was 65 when we started the residency program. Cox got the idea of starting a family practice residency program, and I knew an administrator at Cox who asked me to be on the advisory committee … and one thing led to another, and I was hired as the program director. Two years ago, I stepped down from program director (to serve as) senior faculty physician.

Do the residents also work hands-on with the patients?

Family practice residencies are kind of a modified on-the-job training principle. Residents see patients – they have their own patients – and I and other faculty physicians supervise their care. (Residents) care for patients in the clinic, in the outpatient setting, in the hospital, and they see them in labor and delivery, (because) we also deliver babies. All of their work is supervised at some specified level dictated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

With many physicians choosing to specialize their practices, is there still a need for a one-size-fits-all approach to family health care?

That’s absolutely correct. In fact, that need is increasing, and our business is to try to keep the primary care doctors involved. Family practice is a recognized specialty … but its specialty is generalism – caring for people of any age, any gender, with any problem.

Tell us about the diabetes and chronic disease management endowment fund started through the residency program.

Our endowment is chartered through the CoxHealth Foundation. Ultimately our fund goal is $5 million. We’ve got $50,000 so far (and) a long way to go. (The funds) will be targeted for chronic disease management with the focal point being management of diabetes. (This) entails early diagnosis, education, dietary changes, exercise and medications. … Predominantly, prevention really does work. We want to research the delivery of care to people before they get complications. We’ve got 24 residents who need to produce a research project every year, and some of the money will be spent to fund their research projects.

Tell us about your family.

I’m married to Martee Robinson, a grant writer for The Kitchen clinic. We got married in 1994. I have two children from my first marriage who live here in town. They’re in their 20s. I have two children from my second marriage who live in Arizona and South Dakota. My wife and I live (near) Willard with our dog, cat, fish and bird.

What hobbies do you enjoy?

My major hobby is reading. I do quite a bit of bike riding. In fact, I’m going to ride my bike across the United States next fall for reflection and solitude.

Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover. You can e-mail her with suggestions for future installments of this feature at mhoover@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]